1. You may identify the stasis in the play but it isn’t necessarily at the beginning of the play. Where is it and who does it involve? The stasis is the beginning of the trail of Dan White who is being tried for the murder of the mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and an openly gay city supervisor, Harvey Milk.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken? I believe the intrusion is when the prosecutor plays the tape of confession from Dan White, believing it will be the final nail in the coffin for White to be convicted of premeditated homicide, but instead, four members of the jury are brought to tears, and though this confession makes it clear White did in fact kill Moscone and Milk, his distraught way of speaking on the tape and what he says concerning his personal life raises the question of whether he was exactly sane.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this? The unique factor about when the play takes place is that it focuses on the trial of Dan White, and the aftereffects of the murders, rather than the actual murders. Instead, the only way the audience of the play knows about the murders and what happened leading up to them, is through personal accounts.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) “Is Dan White insane?”. “Why did he kill Moscone and Milk?”. “What should his punishment be?” “Will he receive justice?”. “What would justice be in this situation?”
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers. The entire basis of this play is conflict, as the play is about a trial. The lawyers are facing off against each other; each trying to prove either that White is guilty, or that he is innocent in one way or another. They face off against society, and society as it is represented by the jury. The jury each had their own bias, unfortunately in this case, they were all biased in a similar way. This was to the advantage of the defense lawyer, and a disadvantage to the other.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice. The most theatrical moments are when the confession is played, and at the end, when the verdict of the trail is revealed.
The stasis is the beginning of the trail of Dan White who is being tried for the murder of the mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and an openly gay city supervisor, Harvey Milk.
2. Ball points out that the intrusion sometimes occurs late in the dramatic action. What is the intrusion that breaks the stasis in Execution of Justice and how is it broken?
I believe the intrusion is when the prosecutor plays the tape of confession from Dan White, believing it will be the final nail in the coffin for White to be convicted of premeditated homicide, but instead, four members of the jury are brought to tears, and though this confession makes it clear White did in fact kill Moscone and Milk, his distraught way of speaking on the tape and what he says concerning his personal life raises the question of whether he was exactly sane.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Hint: what is the heart of the play? How does the title figure in this?
The unique factor about when the play takes place is that it focuses on the trial of Dan White, and the aftereffects of the murders, rather than the actual murders. Instead, the only way the audience of the play knows about the murders and what happened leading up to them, is through personal accounts.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
“Is Dan White insane?”. “Why did he kill Moscone and Milk?”. “What should his punishment be?” “Will he receive justice?”. “What would justice be in this situation?”
5. Use the two lawyers to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what these particular characters wants. The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles facing each of the lawyers.
The entire basis of this play is conflict, as the play is about a trial. The lawyers are facing off against each other; each trying to prove either that White is guilty, or that he is innocent in one way or another. They face off against society, and society as it is represented by the jury. The jury each had their own bias, unfortunately in this case, they were all biased in a similar way. This was to the advantage of the defense lawyer, and a disadvantage to the other.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Execution of Justice.
The most theatrical moments are when the confession is played, and at the end, when the verdict of the trail is revealed.